Infections
by darkwingweaver
Summary: (NON-AU) Kikyo was dying... but so was Kagome. Kikyo was his first love, but Kagome got the better of him. He wanted to save Kikyo, but Kagome was in danger. Kikyo was dead... Kagome was not.
1. Default Chapter

                                                                      Never Have Existed, Never Will

                                                                    _By: wingweaver2003/darkwingweaver_

                                                    _Edited by: Nghi, the obscure horror writer in Inuyasha fandom =p_

A/N: Credits to my cousin, who got me addicted to Inuyasha fanfics and Inuyasha. Oi. P.S. Cuz, GIMME BACK MY EVENESCENCE CD BACK!

Editor's Note: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I am back. =) Yes, this is I, NGHI. 

….

What? You don't know me? o_0 Well, you're just going to have to go to the find section and read more about me. =) Trust me, my stories are to DIE for. *snickers at stupid joke* 

*cough* ANYWAYS… I just wanted to say that I will be editing this story for my dear, dear cousin (Whom I use as a punching bag. ^_~). As some of you all know, her grammar is not that… er, sharp. But the idea is good, so while she is providing the plot, I will be maintaining this story under my hawk eye to make sure it is in top condition as it can get without actually having me to INTERFERE with the whole plot and rearranging it to make it fit MY way. -_-* Will not do that… must work on 'Blood-Stained'. Ai.

So, without further ado, I hope my cousin will thank me for this betaing. *watches as cousin runs away* -_- Fine.

*takes out wooden cousin doll* I love my cousin so much. I want to thank Nghi for editing this because I have the worst- *runs out of the room as author comes in with a chair* o_0

Now, onto the REAL content of the story. (Enjoy the nice format… for once. *cough* =))

                                                                        Never Have Existed, Never Will

                                                                    _By: wingweaver2003/darkwingweaver_

_                                                                                   Edited by: Nghi_

"Inuyasha? Where are you?!?!" Kagome cried out vainly, trying to regain her proper footing. 

Staggering to her clumsy, numb feet, she groped along thin air, trying to figure out where she was. "Inuyasha… if you can hear me, then say 'I love daisies'! For real this time… I can't see where I'm going!" 

Stopping, she waited keenly for some type of response from him. Hearing none, Kagome began to panic just a wee bit, allowing tiny pricks of tears of frustration to spring into her dilated eyes. But they were still tiny tears. Really tiny. 

Suddenly, her foot caught on a huge, oafish rock, and she fell onto the ground with a grunt, sprawled across her stomach and the soft… rock? It groaned. 

"What the…? Is that you?" Obviously, Kagome was demanding an answer from the… thing. Her hands were lying on a soft cloth, and she used the rest of her hands to search the 'rock', playing higher and higher until she felt a resemblance of a nose. That satisfied her question enough. "It is you!" she exclaimed in a rather schizophrenic way. 

With extreme difficulty (Well, he WAS a heavy guy.), she managed to pull the heap upright, supporting his weight across her arms and shoulder. "You'll be OK, Inuyasha, I pro…" her eyes became tiny, unfocused dots as Kagome witnessed a soft breeze… near her right butt cheek. 

… OK, so the heap WASN'T Inuyasha… more like Miroku. 

In the midst of the darkness, she heard a nice, hard thump, indicating that Sango was very near her. 

She probably thought the person she was hitting was the monk. Kagome's presumption was checked true as she heard a shrill scream. "You… you… pervert-advantage-taker, you! How dare you take this darkness as a greeting to 'get it on' with me!"   
  
"What the hell are you saying? Why would I want to 'get it on' with you?!?!" 

From a not-so-distant way, Kagome could hear them going at each other's throats.   
  
Not wanting to admit that she mistook Inuyasha for Miroku, Sango protested very loudly in another direction. "I don't care! You don't touch another woman's belongings! They're not yours!"

"Calm down, dammit! It's not like I wanted to!"

"Did you just say that you didn't want to touch my breasts because of the sole fact that they're mine?"

"I said no such thing! I was saying that it was an accident!"

"Oh… so you're using the excuse of an accident at wanting to touch my breasts?!?!"   
  
"Wha-? No, I sa- stop twisting my words around!" he ground out when he realized how cornered he was. 

Meanwhile, Kagome, being the smart one, had begun hobbling in the general direction to where the noise was. By now, she was close enough to see Inuyasha's slightly glowing hair and Sango's neon red pads. Releasing the priest from her arms, she started to yell at him for not hearing her, but by then, Miroku had toppled forward from losing support and balance. And, since the two were behind Sango, he landed on top of the exterminator, where his hand immediately took advantage of this innocent situation. "Ah, I've fallen!" he announced quite dramatically. Possibly the end of this drama, as was the end of houshi's life.  
  
Another thump was heard in the dark. 

"C'mon, let's get out of this place, wherever we are," Inuyasha sniffed the air as he said so. "I smell something coming from our left."

I*N*U

"But…."

"No! No 'buts'!"

"Butts?"

"Aargh… this is why I can't even trust you in the same room!" Sango accused menacingly, her face becoming red from all the yelling she had to do.

Miroku smiled placidly and did a peace sign. "Dear… you're mistaken. You can trust me fine."

"Do you take advantage of every situation just to cop a feel at some poor, innocent girl?!?!"

"No," he immediately defended himself. "I make the most use of it."   
  
"… You IDIOT!" came the reply.

Kagome watched with a sort of grim fascination at the two, bickering friends and sighed. "It's amazing what a feud can do to a surrogate family, eh, Inuyasha?"

….

"Inuyasha?" she turned to the front, a bit surprised that no snarky comment was made… and realized what was keeping him quiet. Too stunned, she crashed into his back and fell onto her bottom. 

Sango and Miroku had stopped mid-sentence in their win-lose situation, wondering why the easily agitated hanyou wasn't butting in. They saw Kikyo.

And a moment of silence passed.  
  
"May I request Inuyasha's presence?" Kikyo asked, her regal voice showing no emotion to her terse announcement. As his feet began to move forward, so did the rest of the group's, like they had been attached together. 

"Alone?"

That effectively killed the attachment.   
  
"Oh," Sango mumbled in a small, clipped voice before turning around.

"All right," Miroku nodded in agreement and followed Sango's lead.

Kagome nodded once firmly, and then she was gone before his eyes. 

I*N*U

"Let's do it."

"No."  
  
"Yeah."

"What? Miroku… have you no morals?"

"What?"

"C'mon, Sango… let's go!"

"See? Even Kagome wants to know what's going on."

"But that's… that's eavesdropping! It's a bad habit to get into!" Sango sputtered indignantly.

Kagome knew that no matter how much she was trying to uphold exterminator moral codes, she was also deathly curious of the conversation taking place between the two people. So she decided to push one more button. "But I really want to see Shippo again in the village… and we can't get back unless we get Inuyasha. And it's been a long time, so we have to hurry home. Besides, Miroku's arm is a bit infected."

To back her up, the man held up his bleeding arm. "It hurts," he complained a little, agreeing.

She was silent for a moment… contemplating the matter. Kagome waited impatiently, wanting to hop back and forth on her feet instead of sitting down. "All right," Sango said, quietly resigning into the argument. She didn't feel up for the third argument in a day.   
  
  


I*N*U   
  
  


"Please…" she pleaded quietly.

He blinked his stunned, golden eyes at her, his mind not registering the fact that she had begged him for something. "Wha-what?"

"I ask of you…" she murmured again, head bowed down. "To please help me. To please wish upon the Shikon no Tama for a heart of my own, so I may live again. My body is growing weaker ever since my last visit with… Naraku. He has stripped me of my soul stealers… and I am losing my strength and will rapidly every passing day." 

….

That was basically what had transpired between the last 30 seconds from Inuyasha to Kikyo.

Without warning, her head snapped up, and she glared at him with a cold fury within the brown gaze. "Oh," she answered simply, the years of being trained paying well off, as the venomous tone in her voice was shamefully concealed to a neutral, if not bitter, tone. "I understand."

"What do you understand…?" Inuyasha asked.

In that one question, Kikyo's anger seemed to boil to surface. "I understand now," she spat out again, "I understand well enough to know that you refuse to help me."

"But…."

"I understand how the past 50 years of you being pinned to the tree did no good to your immaturity. I understand how before that, you cared for yourself, and only yourself. I understand WELL enough now that you will never help me again because of whom I am. Is that it, Inuyasha? Is this it? My skin? My body? My SOUL?!?! You refuse to help me because of who I am?!?!"

By now, her voice was on breaking point, showing beneath the glossy exterior of a broken, dying woman. "You won't help me because I am dead?!?!" 

"I never said no!" he butted in angrily, hurt and confused by the blow of barrage. "You just never gave me the chance to talk!"

A few, cold tears slipped past her cheek as she quieted. "What do you want me to do?" he asked slowly. 

"I need the Shikon to live…" Kikyo answered, eyes directly into his. "Naraku has stolen my life support. I now need my own beating heart."

At this, Inuyasha slowly backed down from her penetrating stare, until he was examining the lining of her sleeves with great interest. "Well?" she demanded.

"I can't do it," he whispered, and he could hear her voice hitch again. "I'm not the person holding the jewel!"

There was silence again, and he took it as a bad sign. "But I can help you for the remaining days. I can stay with you until you die. I can put you to rest before you died in an untimely place. I can…."

"No…" she whispered, her eyes staring at his twitching ears. "I refuse to."

As if he hadn't heard her, which was not possible, she stated her answer again, clearer this time. "No. I won't go down. There has to be some way, some way to retrieve me a heart. I refuse to go down… I won't go down. Do you hear me, Inuyasha? Do you hear me? Do you HEAR me? I won't be dragged down into the soil again! **I won't die again!**" her voice screamed the last part out as a mind-numbing sob began to rise up her throat, and past the protected barriers of her feelings.

"I won't die…" she sobbed wretchedly, her shoulders heaving up and down. "Not again…."

In a blur, he was knelt down in the soft, forest dirt with her, his hand wrapped around her priestess robes airily, like he was an illusion. "Kikyo…." 

Inuyasha was used to outbursts from Kagome, but never would he have seen it coming out of this young woman.

She gripped onto his kimono and cried harder, hearing his heart beat inside his chest in a pattern.

_Boom… boom… boom… boom…._

And the sound only made her cry harder. 

Inuyasha rocked her back and forth slowly on the balls of his heel, waiting patiently while she reduced her saddened crying into soft hiccups. "I'm sorry…" he muttered, his eyes showing his true sympathy. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you…."

"I don't want your pity," she murmured flatly, eyes dulling and glazing into a dark onyx.

"That is all I can give you…."

With a burst of unexpected emotion, she wrenched herself away from his soft hands, landing on her knees again. "Can your pity save me?" Kikyo asked angrily, the soft tears forgotten already. "Can your sympathy save me from this… this fate? Do I DESERVE this?!?!"

But before he could answer, she had reached out and pulled his head towards her chest, forcing one of the ears over her left breast. "This is me," she said, her hand shaking a little. "Do you hear me? Do you hear my heart? Where is it? Where is that one thing that will ensure my life?!?! The one thing that will secure me… will** bind me** to this earth so I may live the rest of my unguarded life forever?!?!" Her voice had once again begun to rise as more uncontrolled tears slipped past her face.

Her hands weakened, and it slipped from Inuyasha.

But she was still kneeling, and he was still lying on her chest, trying to hear the heart that was no longer there.

I*N*U

"Sshh!" a voice hissed loudly. "Do you want everything in the forest to hear us?"

"Look who's talking, Kagome," Sango hissed back.

"Girls, girls, let's just keep going to find Inuyasha."

The logical sense of the theory brought the girls back, and they huffed quietly all the while treading through tall, grazing grass.

Suddenly, Sango, who was by far leading them, stopped, and therefore caused a train-like crash to happen behind her. "Ow… what's wrong?" Kagome demanded quietly. "Let's go!"

"Um, no," she argued back, turning around. "I need to polish Hiraikotsu. Let's go."

"What?" Miroku was confused, along with Kagome. "But you did it two hours ago."

"Uh… well, I want to do it again," she offered lamely. "So let's go!"

"Oh, stop being such a party pooper," Kagome insulted her jokingly. "I mean, I'm really curious. And I want to go home. So let's go already. What's the worst…."

She had pushed Sango out of the way while speaking of this, and when her eyes descended upon the image, her words died on her lips… seeing Inuyasha leaning against Kikyo's breast. 

Obviously, something was wrong with the picture here… not to mention suggestive.

For a moment, Kagome stared at the scene displaying before her, with just a blank face. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to be shocked or not. It wasn't like she was jealous (Of course not!)… but… well… it was slightly disturbing and embarrassing to catch two people in the act.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered, breathless from seeing this scene before her.

Almost immediately, like he had been stung, his head whipped up from its position, and he swiveled around to see Kagome… before a bit of panicking entered his vision. "What are you doing here?!?!"

There was just the mindless chirping of the birds… as she was too stunned to move.  
  
 "Um… I think I will go back to tending my Hiraikotsu now…" Sango quietly murmured, slipping out of the scene. 

"I think I will help Miss Sango with her duty…" Miroku voiced his cued exit and slipped into the past of the forest.

"I asked you, what were you doing here?" 

For a moment, Kagome didn't answer again… she was just staring at the two with a blank look. "Kagome!"

She jumped at the voice and immediately smiled upon reflex. "Oops… hehe." She giggled nervously. "I didn't mean to disturb you… see… um… I was… um… trying to… er, find my…." At this point, she bent down to pick up something.

"Kagome, don't touch…."

"This!" And she held up a poison ivy leaf.

I*N*U

  
*  
  
*

 END OF CHAPTER 1!

Editoer's Note: BWAHAHAHAHA. I just got permission to post anything I wanted. XD I get to have my own free space! *nods* Don't worry, dude, I'll give back your Evanescence CD… after I chuck it out the window and let dancing wolves graze upon it. XD

*cough* o_0 Um… yeah. ^_^

Well, wingweaver2003 would like to ADVERTISE me. But since she doesn't know how to do it properly, let me do it. *clears throat and take out wooden cousin doll again*

My cousin, Nghi, who also happens to be co-writing this story (In terms of editing and adding scenes. ^_^), has written two stories so far on her Inuyasha account. *hugs* She wrote a one-shot and is still continuing the story 'Blood-Stained'. It's Suspense/General (Actually, it's supposed to be Horror. ¬_¬)

But do please read and review her story, since she would be so grateful! ^_^

*puts wooden cousin away* That's right! That's how you do it!

NOTE: Remember that I am not the author! ^_^ Personally, I find this a bit too… fast moving for my taste, but that's all right. I am just the editor, editing and co-writing some scenes. I have no say in this. =) Don't like Kikyo? Don't take it out on the review. I have wingweaver2003's full permission to co-edit it the way I like… and she checks the final copy. =P Tough cookies.

And now… do please review! She'd be so happy! ^_^


	2. Pressure

**Chapter Two: Pressure**

_By: darkwingweaver___

_Edited by: Nghi_

­­

"Fool."

He leaned his back against the hard wall of the hut, standing at the doorway with his arms crossed. Inuyasha stared at Kaede's back from the corner of his eye, not bothering to hide his interest in what appeared to be Kaede slathering some special type of lotion all over Kagome's arms. "Feh, what possessed you to pick up poison ivy leaf, you dumbass?"

"Sor-RY, Mr. Carebear Nature," she retorted. "I thought it was something else!" She resisted the urge to itch where Kaede rubbed more ointment. The old miko stepped away from her, allowing the young girl to scratch her arms irritably; Inuyasha smirked. "Only village idiots pick up ivy leaves willingly...."

"Ah ha ha ha ha! So funny," she drawled, glaring at him vehemently.

This only served in causing him to smile even wider- it was then she realized that he... was... spiting her! He kept his grin as she rose to her feet and stomped out. "Not... a... word..." she groused, passing by him.

I*N*U*

"How mean! Making fun of my situation... you won't see ME making fun of him if he did that," Kagome muttered angrily. She was going in no particular direction, so it was a surprise to her that she had reached a local river's bank.

"Kagome!" 

A voice shook her out of her angry mumbles, and she looked up to see a young kitsune bounding towards her. "Shippo!" she greeted, the last of her anger sapping.

"Did you get the rumored shards?"

"Er… No, we didn't. But we can try again, and that means that you could be with us this time to help us."

"Yay!" he cheered.

The two began to skirt along the side of the babbling water.

"So, tell me, what have you been doing while we were away?" Kagome ran her hands through Shippo's auburn hair.

"I went swimming, then I played hide and seek with the forest, and now I have a new best friend! We met while I was tagging one of the trees!"

"How nice! What's his-"

"Wow! I didn't notice until now, but you're PINK! What is this stuff?" he asked, poking her arms away.

"Yow!" An urge to scratch those rashes rolled over her as she tried to hold back the longing fingers.

"Oops! Sorry!" Shippou apologized immediately. 

"It…it's okay. Just don't poke pink again, okay?" Kagome said through gritted teeth.

I*N*U*

When the two reached Kaede's hut again, Inuyasha was waiting impatiently for them. "What took so long?" he demanded.

Kagome huffed slightly. "I was trying to SOFTEN my anger at Mr. Carebear Nature, so I took a walk with Shippou here."

"Whatever, Pinky," he muttered. "Let's go- Sango found some more rumors for us to chase after."

Ignoring her squeak of protest at the nickname, he beckoned for both to follow.

"Hey, I see you're dealing with your little accident." Sango smiled as they entered. She suppressed a small giggle, remembering when her friend first picked up the ivy and screamed, chasing the whole group around to try removing the leaf; apparently, a sticky substance kept the it sticking to her skin.

"Uh… yeah," Kagome scratched a white spot on her elbow, unsure what to say. "I went to the village and got Shippou back." 

"Great! I heard of a new shard and demon to the west, near the mountains! We can go as soon as possible." Sango brushed a stray hair out of her face.

"That sounds good to me... but let's get some dinner first." 

I*N*U*

"Um… Inuyasha, I know that you're very hungry, since you practically dragged us out before dinner was even made and stuff... and I know you're famished from the hunt... but... how can you eat in a place like this?" It was already nightfall and HE was sitting casually in his Indian position, busily slurping his noodles. 

"What?! It's nothing you ain't used to," he replied, stuffing more ramen into his mouth.

"Yes, but in a demon grave yard?! Where we're walking on bones? And there are some rotting flesh still visible?!?!" Kagome shivered slightly. "I've heard tons of stories about ghosts, and walking on their bones is disrespecting them. It's practically calling them to awaken... and they're not usually social butterflies."

"Feh. You and your ghost stories."

Miroku had already fallen fast asleep a little farther away from the campfire; he rolled over and plopped on his stomach to sleep, giving off small irritating snores. Sango was somewhere in another part of the graveyard, training with Hiraikotsu and Kirara. The resounding noise of Hiraikotsu meeting ground echoed, proof of her workout.

"As if ghosts would come back to their bodies and eat your guts out. They're dead and gone, so there's no use coming back." He paused slightly when he said that, remembering Kikyo's empty heart.

"Oh, but there is Inuyasha," a cool voice commented lightly from behind them. Kagome jumped out of her seat.

"AAAH! GHOST!"

"I must yet again have a word with Inuyasha. It is urgent we speak in privacy," she said softly, her dark eyes gazing at Inuyasha. Kagome, having recovered from her heart attack, looked at Inuyasha first, then Kikyo, before complying with her wishes; she gently picked up Shippou and placed him on the grass to Inuyasha's right before scuttling off in search of Sango. 

I*N*U

"Kikyo-" Inuyasha started, getting to his feet.

"Do you need more time to think through your actions? Because really, I see the choice just perfectly. However, IF you do, understand this: I am slowly putrefying from the inside. It is not visible... yet. But I can feel the disturbance of my body's souls slowly rotting away to waste, leaving me to my... my DEATH," she inhaled sharply. "I need your answer soon, because once it starts..." she took Inuyasha's right hand within her cold grasp and placed it against her chest, just above her heart where the sound was still and too peaceful. 

"... It will not halt to time."

He looked at her, watching her stoic face... and suddenly, he realized how truthful she was. That this was not some joke devised to create the downfall of Kagome. This was REAL, and Kikyo was DYING.

... Oh yeah, NOW the pressure was on.

"I am sure this burdens you, but I am still walking this dirt for you, Inuyasha. Whether you are aware of it or not, I am still walking. Walking for you." With those last, hopeful words, she placed a small kiss on his forehead and released his hand from her grasp, disappearing from the graveyard.

In the darkness, Kikyo took one last glance before turning around.

Inuyasha sat down and stared at his unfinished ramen. There was something different about Kikyo....

Her eyes. They weren't a dull onyx of her drabby state. They held a hint of glimmer... and it was of hope that he would help her.

Shit.

Now how was he ever going to decide?!?!

He felt a sympathetic pat to his right and looked up to see Shippou, nodding gravely. 

"What do you want?" he sneered, abruptly switching tones.

"Cheer up, old man," Shippo said, still nodding. "Women. Nothing but trouble. I tell ya, I'm never getting into any affairs."

Inuyasha twitched once before punching his head, leaving a swollen bump on the kitsune's head. Behind him, Kagome returned with Sango, just in time to witness the beating. 

"Inuyasha! Don't be such a bully!" Kagome swept Shippou into her arms and cuffed the hanyou hard by the ears.

"Well, if he left me alone in the first place, he wouldn't be knocked out!" he argued angrily, holding his abused ears delicately.

The two continued to bicker endlessly about logical reasoning and Constitutional rights, with Sango as a judge. All were too winded up to realize that something was watching them intently....

I*N*U*

He watched silently, hidden barrier up so the half demon could not sense him in any way. Excellent... his plans were going smoothly. It was almost time to pull the original miko into his grasp, and soon, the new one would follow. 

I*N*U*

Someone has a lot of tricks in his potato sacks.

Editor's Note: Revised Chapter Two. MWAH! Read and review for mah cousin! :D


End file.
